4. Take precautions at work

Your employer is obliged to make changes to reduce your exposure to loud noise – for example, by:

switching to quieter equipment if possible

making sure you're not exposed to loud noise for long periods

providing hearing protection, such as ear muffs or earplugs

Make sure you wear any hearing protection you're given.

5. Get your hearing tested

Get a hearing test as soon as possible if you're worried you might be losing your hearing. The earlier hearing loss is picked up, the earlier something can be done about it.

You might also want to consider having regular hearing checks (once a year, say) if you're at a higher risk of noise-induced hearing loss – for example, if you're a musician or work in noisy environments.